A day in the life of Todd Smith

How Old Will I be in Heaven?

This morning my daughter Abby asked how old she would be when she got to heaven? Uuhh, well, ummm!! I didn’t know, and told her so. Whether we are the same age as when we die, 33yrs old (same as Jesus) or some other age, I don’t know.

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My kids have never asked me that. Abby is quite the smart cookie! :)
We did, however, have a discussion about this in college in my Modern Theology class. I remember our prof said he thought we’d all be in about our early 30’s. (I can only imagine he guessed that because that is how long Jesus lived on the earth, but I’d be interested to know how he came up with that. I wish he’d given some reference for that…) I remember telling him that I hoped he was wrong because I was in my early 30s then and very pregnant, and said I didn’t care to spend eternity waddling around… although there’s no pain in heaven, so I really shouldn’t complain, I know!

It DOES make you wonder, though. I’ll be interested to see what others say.

Okay, I’ll take a stab at it: Since age is a measurement of time and heaven will be infinite we won’t have an age. Just as there won’t be sadness or illness there won’t be an age to limit us. We won’t be too young to ride the best rides at the amusement park or too old to run or skip or do cartwheels for fun. We will be perfect and forever with God.

So I actually teach 3-6 year olds at church where we take a linear journey through the bible each year. There are many abstract concepts to cover, but I have found that if you can tap into an emotion or feeling that they are familiar with that they can relate. Thus, the examples I gave. What would precious Abby feel standing in line at the amusement park and waiting for an amazing ride only to be told she was too young to go with Daddy? Or how would she feel to play with Grandma and have her not be able to go down the slide because she was too old and couldn’t physically climb the steps?
Once they feel those feelings then you can parallel how heaven won’t have restrictions or limit us from what makes us feel happy. Then I think they understand how different heaven will be.
Sounds to me though that if Abby is thinking at that layer she will be able to grasp the answer! :)

I don’t have kids, as I believe you know! :) However, being a elementary teacher and nanny (at times), I am around children quite a bit. Although, I’ve never been asked that one!

I got your tweet on my phone today, during my Master’s class, and pondered that one for quite some time. Unfortunately, I didn’t come up with an answer, but wanted to thank you for encouraging me to think today!

Great question from Abby! I think I’m with Robin and I don’t think we’ll have an “age”; but how do you explain that to a child? Lack of age? I’m not sure I can even really put my mind around it!
My 3 (almost 4) year old hasn’t asked that exact question, but she does ask a lot of questions about Heaven and says often that she wants to go see God in Heaven. I feel really torn about how to respond to her most of the time. Tough questions from little ones and I wish had more answers.

My daughter asks that question all the time. She has a sister in heaven, and is hoping that Madison will still be a baby when we get to her…I’m secretly hoping that too. I only got to hold her for four short hours. I want to hold her as a baby again for a long time! I’m sure you all understand that. :)

sometimes i feel (or wish) that we will all be able to see the person we love in the way that we love them. for instance, i may get to see my grandmother as how i remember her, sweet but elderly. although my grandfather may see her as she was the day he married her. i’m hoping i’m right, but i know that whatever it is or however it happens, it’s going to be amazing!

Actually, I was just thinking about this while I was listening to Selah ;) and taking a bubble bath…like Robin had said – since age is a measurement of time, and our bodies grow with time…and our physical bodies are left here on earth when we pass away and our souls are taken to Heaven with Jesus and God…so do our souls have an age? I don’t think so. They just are. So I don’t believe there is an age in heaven.

This comment really has nothing to do with this post but I just wanted to tell you. I LOVE Selah and think Amy Perry’s voice is beyond amazing (Yours too :) ) and am soooo excited for the new cd. I have been following Angie’s blog since before Audrey was born and it has been a huge blessing.

When ya’ll came out with the duets album there were two songs on there that were really amazing to me. Faithful One and Glory. They sounded amazing. I sing at my church and really wanted to sing those with someone in my church but at the time there wasn’t anyone there to sing them with me. I had emailed Angie and told her that one day I was going to sing a duet with you. :) Since then we have gotten a new pastor and he sounds very similar to you so we sang them in the Church. I still want to sing with you someday. Your voice is amazing.

I feel that God is calling me to sing as a “career”. I want to go to Nashville really bad and just see what it’s like. If there is any advice you can give..I will take it. :)

You know, that was something we pondered when our Gabriel went home to heaven. I knew that, logically, he couldn’t remain 2 years old forever. However, I had a hard time imagining him as an adult. A priest friend said, “His soul is fulfilled.” I know that however Gabriel “looks” when I meet him again, I will recognize him.

I have to say that your song “I Will Carry You” and Nicol’s song “71 Days” are so beautiful. I’ve thought for a long time that, perhaps, some artists should make a compilation of songs such as those for those of us who have children in heaven. That actually sounds like a good title for a song, “Children in Heaven”. I know I would treasure such an album.

This question was just asked by a 10-year-old girl in our Sunday school department. As was suggested above, we cannot perceive heaven from an earthly viewpoint. It is a spiritual dwelling. I believe there is no specific age in heaven, but rather our level of mature understanding. We will have our glorified bodies, but mainly the “youngest” person there will have perfect knowledge and know just as much as the “oldest” person there.

I love the question your little girl asked about heaven. I’ve always believed we’ll be the perfect age; in our prime; maybe in our early 20’s (who knows). Age is a “time-thing” and in heaven there is no time as we know it. I often wondered how we would recognize each other once we get their either by death or rapture… I hope its the same way we would recognize our precious Lord and Savior; by His amazing love & the relationship we’ve had with him. I don’t know much, but I do know it will be exciting, amazing, and very very REAL. I’m looking forward to seeing my future home & hugging all those who have already taken the trip across the Jordan River! Love your ministry in music. Always makes the Lord seem so close! That’s what its all about.

I have often wondered that question myself…especially after recently loosing a baby to stillbirth and triploidy. Will she still be a baby?

My daughter hasn’t asked me that question, but she did ask me when do you die IN Heaven. And obviously, I told her that we don’t die IN Heaven…when we get to heaven we have eternal life and live forever. In her 5 1/2 year old way of being smart said, forever and ever and ever and ever and ever??? :)

I honestly believe you can be any age up, there, i mean if there are any dimensions and dreams that we dream on earth, heaven would supply that. For example, if your an 80 year old man, you could be 6 if you wanted to, just think about it, and your in that form, same with dying on earth at age 50, you could be 25 years old again.

Oh the questions that our children ask in full confidence that we will know
The things they bring to us trusting we will help them grow
And yet we stumble with the smallest questions to find our own reply
At such times it always reminds “Let’s pray and ask God to give that question a try.”

My son has asked some bewildering things now at the smallest age of four
Among them he has asked why his brother lives with God and not with us any more
Sometimes the only answer I have to give
Is no worries my child, your brother DOES live

And as I pray that I relay to him words that will help his spirit grow
I thank my heavenly father above who always provides us with the wisdom we must know
Oh the faith of my small child makes me leap for joy
When I rattle off an answer to a question that should simply not be posed by such a small boy

Sometimes of course I forget this source that I have to reach out too
And instead of going in prayer to Him, the answer myself try to stumble through
If only I took all my questions and concerns to Him with the confidence my child always brings to me
I’d feed far fewer fish with my tears in the sea.

For those of us that have a child up above
We must never forget that we can even ask our heavenly father to give our child all of our love
For that love came first from Him anyway
So surely we can ask him to pass along a hug and kiss to our child when we pray.

And so when our children here ask about age and things up above
I believe all we really need to tell them, is that nothing matters but that we will still, as we do now, have our Savior’s most amazing love.

About

I’m 6 feet 5 inches. Oh wait, that’s what I prayed for as a kid!! I’m a lover of God, a husband, daddy, friend, musician. I love 24 and hope it will continue in heaven. I grew up in Africa as a missionary kid. I have 4 daughters. I sing in Selah. I’m married to angie, my Italian red head!!